There are many serious issues affecting the health of our communitities these days. Whether it is environmental pollution, unemployment or the crime rate, these issues affect all of us directly or indirectly. Many ordinary people feel less in control of their lives for themselves or their families, while events initiated by governments and big business contribute to this feeling of disempowerment. There are no quick fixes to issues that may have a detrimental effect on all of us, including future generations. This web site is focused on problems within our food supply, from the farming practices, supply and distribution, control, and quality of our food supply. It will also focus on informing of options available to various problems and issues within our food source and the importance of reconizing the link between farmers and the general population. Neither of which could survive without the other, and the health of both groups are dependent on each other.
This site is not against the use of pesticides/herbicides, but is for exploring the various options available which may borrow practices from integrated pest management or organic gardening principles for example. It must be recognized that farming practices or customer spending patterns will not change overnight, but will change in time dependent on the information made available including the highlighting the benefits of change.
There are three main sections to this site as detailed below
This site is against the introduction of genetic engineering into our food supply. The benefits claimed by proponents of genetic engineering have not and do not stand up under scrutiny. While the definite beneficiaries are the multinational agribusinesses and sections of the scientific community with increased budgets. Though this is most likely at the expense of the section of the scientific community that does do valuable research and work in other areas of agriculture dealing with sustainability.
Detailed information of available organisations, studies, and farming groups that are making large and/or small improvements in farming practices to the benefit of farmers and the end customer. These improvements extend to all of us as it includes benefits to our environement and to our own physical health. From a purely economic point of view this provides long term savings.
This is the starting point where specific information to a region can be found. It is starting with South East Queensland in Australia and can be extended to other regions if others would like to contribute information.
This site is against genetic engineering in the form of Recombinant DNA of our food, while strongly in favour of practices that lead to sustainable farming, empowering farmers with choices without locking them into a multinational organisation, and giving people information of how they can help farmers, our environment and their own health with decisions they make.
One of the most important aspects of our lives would have to be our food, not only for ourselves but also our friends and families. When considering our food supply in the big picture, it encompasses a huge diversity of issues, each of which is intimately dependent on each other. The quality of our food depends on the health of the farming communithy to produce our food. The less pesticide/herbicide is a direct link to our food quality, while the use of farming methods that work with the soil and general environment instead of attempting to control it, improves the nutritional content and flavour of the food. Ask any home organic gardener about the flavour or home grown fruit or vegetables versus those purchased from a large supermarket.
Indirect benefits of an informed and enpowered farmer is that our environment benefits from reduced levels of artificial chemical fertilizers poisoning the soil and the consequences of runoff of excess into our rivers or oceans.
We already have had the promise of abundant and healthy food supply from agribusiness by using modern herbicides/pesticides and fertilizers, but the price has been extremely high in relation to the quality of our food and the effects it has had on the environment. All of which has been suitably ignored by the agribusiness for whom the only real concern has been profit margins at the end of the financial year. Only now as vast sums of money are put into genetic engineering is it being acknowledged that less herbicides and pesticides is beneficial for us in general, and a the new promises of genetic engineerig to accomplish this. Noting that any farmer then becomes further bound to a multinational agribusiness, not only for herbicides, pesticides and/or fertilizers, but also for the seeds which are covered by a patent.
With the demise of smaller family owned farms to the larger multinational based farms comes the total focus of financial profits for the short term. Stock markets have no concept of what may be beneficial to the land in the long term, its only motive is short term profits. Longer term problems can be dealt with by someone else which normally means the taxpayer. Problems such as environmental degredation of once fertile land, the continued reliance of farmers on multinational companies, the breakdown of rural communities and townships with the complete focus of company profits, decreasing nutritional value and flavour of foods, etc.
This web site is aimed at informing people about the various issues regarding our food and the options available. This site is against the genetic engineering of our food source based upon looking at all the beneficial claims made, the evidence of those claims, and the options available to us which already have a proven track record. There is no magic solution, but a serious of alternatives available based upon each case. Herbicides, pesticides and artificial fertilizers will not be made redundant overnight, but the reduced usage of these chemicals in conjunction with an something like an integraged pest management approach is available now. This has the added benefit of empowering the farmer more with knowledge and options, reducing costs to the farmer, less effect on the environment and less chemical residues in our food chain.
It is also upto the city people to demand of our elected representatives who are paid by our taxes to ensure that a framework and resources are directed to sustainable agriculture and communities in the long run, use of open and well thought out publicly funded scientific approach that is not biased by corporate funding or public relations machines. In Australia this appears to be taking a dangerous turn where our peak science organisation CSIRO, and various appointments of key people need to be fully looked at. A few articles appear in the July 2004 edition of Australasian Science where you can read the editorial
Are adequate resources being put into our science research institutes to carry out investigations into issues that effect ordinary Australians such as land usage, water usage, integrated pest/crop management etc. Or is research directed by multinational companies into technology that they can effectively patent and thereby control for pure profit motives, at the expense of farmers.
The issue of our food is complex and involves many people and organisations at all levels of the community. The stakes are high for all, whether the profit margins or a mulitinational, the egos and/or reputation of scientists involved, the empowerment and choices of the farming community, and finally the risks that all Australians are knowingly and willingly taking for themselves and their families. The governments whether at state or federal level will not lead on this issue based on the long term good of the community. It is too busy spin doctoring its own image and agendas, which is not inclusive of the Australian community. This is regardless of the political party in power, as the only viable long term solution is when the Australian community begin to communicate and openly question all interested parties, and then demand a strategic direction.
If you believe this issue is of little importance to you, and other issues are more important, I believe it is not an either/or situation, it is an and situation, where health, education, environment and our food are all important and are connected. Even in the most simplistic connection that if more taxpayer money is spent on rectifying problems that can and are caused by current farming practices and/or future genetic engineering problems, less taxpayer money is available for the other issues of health and education.
Ron Lipinskas
Brisbane Australia